Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

"But, we don\'t know--!" the elder opened his mouth again, only to be cut off by the angel.

"It\'s an order. Do as I say, or the werewolves will be the last thing you\'d be worried about."

With that, the angel disappeared, leaving behind the confused centaurs. It was true Chiron was a centaur. But meeting him wasn\'t easy. The elder centaur needed the angel\'s help to locate him. But she thought he was making excuses and didn\'t listen to him.

"So where is he?" YuWon asked, stretching his muscles.

"We don\'t know," the elder shook his head. "Chiron has always been... different from us. That\'s why they don\'t live with us commoners."

"They? There is more than one Chiron?"

The elder nodded. "Chiron isn\'t an individual, but a position. A revered one at that. Not anyone can become a Chiron."

The elder kept talking about it. The Chiron was like a clan of gifted individuals. It was said they possessed all the knowledge that an entire species of centaurs couldn\'t possibly achieve.

Before a curse befell their race, people worshipped the Chirons as messengers of the gods. But when the gods cursed Lycaon, he went after them first. He wanted a cure for the curse and knew the Chirons could offer it.

However, the Chirons didn\'t help him. Whether they didn\'t want to go against the gods, or because their knowledge failed, was anyone\'s guess. Either way, they were the first clan that Lycaon struck.

The werewolves killed many of them. But they were also the only clan who managed to chase Lycaon away. Ever since then, no one had heard about them. The Chiron went into hiding and even Lycaon didn\'t dare to pursue them.

The centaurs tried looking for them to learn how they defeated Lycaon. But they found no trace of them. It was like they had disappeared into the air.

"It\'s impossible to find the Chiron," the elder sighed.

But YuWon remained unconvinced. If it had been truly impossible, the angel wouldn\'t have given them the task. Besides, she was an angel, and she obviously knew what happened between Lycaon and the Chiron.

There has to be something...

YuWon looked far deeper into the forest. If the centaurs didn\'t know shit, then there was only one person who could guide them.

"Hm... time to wake Soo-Ah."

***

Sometime later...

YuWon crouched beside the unconscious Soo-Ah, holding a small bowl of water. Without hesitation, he splashed it over her face. She gasped, blinking rapidly, adjusting to the rude awakening.

"Wh-what?!" she asked, frantically looking around.

However, she relaxed immediately when she noticed Yeji before her. To her, Yeji was no ordinary person; she was the vessel for the goddess Sekhmet, whom Soo-Ah worshiped.

YuWon knew that, hence he briefed Yeji about his plan and left it all to her. Despite her caring nature, she could be quite cunning when she had to. Besides, Soo-Ah\'s reverence for her would make it easier for Yeji to fool her.

"How are you feeling, Soo-Ah?" Yeji asked, smiling gently at her.

The respect Soo-Ah had shown Yeji disappeared when she heard Yeji\'s voice and not Sekhmet\'s. Despite that, she couldn\'t be rude to her, in case Sekhmet saw it as her disrespect.

"I\'m fine, Yeji. It\'s just that traitor..." Soo-Ah\'s eyes darkened as she remembered YuWon. "He caught me off guard, but I\'ll recover soon and unite you again."

Yeji\'s brow twitched slightly when she heard Soo-Ah call YuWon a traitor, but she forced herself to stay calm. After all, YuWon had already told her Soo-Ah might call him names.

Just for a while... Tolerate her, just for a while.

With that thought, Yeji gave Soo-Ah a polite smile, trying to hide her irritation.

"That\'s good to hear," Yeji replied, breathing a sigh of relief.

Yeji then paused for a moment before continuing. "I wanted to ask you something, Soo-Ah. It\'s about the skeletons you\'ve resurrected before. Do they keep their memories?"

Soo-Ah blinked in surprise, clearly surprised by the question, but nodded. If Yeji was taking an interest in her abilities, then she should be glad.

"Yes. Depending on the grade and class of the creature, they can keep fragments of their memories and certain traits. But why are you asking about it?"

"I\'m not, but the goddess wanted to," Yeji shook her head before smiling at her. "But I\'d like you to resurrect Lycaon as a skeleton soldier."

Soo-Ah\'s face turned pale, and she recoiled as if someone had slapped her. Why did she want to resurrect that beast? Whatever the reason was, Soo-Ah didn\'t agree.

"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "Resurrecting someone who meant harm to you, to the Goddess… it\'s against my beliefs. I will never let that beast walk on earth again!"

After hearing Soo-Ah\'s response, Yeji almost lost her temper, her hand itching to slap some sense into Soo-Ah. But then YuWon\'s words echoed in her mind, calming her.

Yeji took a deep breath before gently grabbing Soo-Ah\'s hand and pulling her close in a hug. Soo-Ah\'s eyes widened at the unexpected gesture.

She was so close to the one Sekhmet had possessed. That thought alone made her heart pound as Yeji whispered in her ear.

"Listen to me, Soo-Ah," Yeji murmured with a hint of urgency. "Resurrecting Lycaon is essential to the Goddess\'s plan."

"Sekhmet\'s plan? But… I don\'t understand."

Yeji released her but held on to her shoulders as she lied through her teeth.

"My body… it can\'t handle the full force of the goddess Sekhmet\'s power. That\'s why YuWon could push her out of me. I\'m not strong enough to resist his control."

She continued, "But for the few moments I had, the goddess inside me... did something. I want to experience her power again. I want to have Sekhmet live within me. But I need strength for that."

Yeji stopped, analyzing Soo-Ah\'s face. It was important for her to buy the bullshit Yeji was spouting. If not, all their work would be in vain.

"But… how will resurrecting Lycaon help with that?"

The prey had taken the bait. Yeji wanted to smile, but her expression remained serious.

"When the Goddess was about to leave me, she told me of someone who could help strengthen my body. Someone named Chiron. They have abilities that will make me strong enough to bear Sekhmet\'s full power."

Yeji saw Soo-Ah\'s eyes light up when she paused. So she continued.

"After talking with the centaurs, I realized the Chiron was not a person but a clan. However, they don\'t know where the Chiron clan is. But Lycaon might."

"So, that\'s why you want me to bring Lycaon back, even if it\'s just as a skeleton soldier. He\'ll lead us to the Chiron."

"Exactly. As long as I can find the Chiron, we can have goddess return to us."

Soo-Ah considered this for a long moment, then glanced at Yeji with suspicion. The Yeji she knew was devoted to YuWon. It was unlikely she would plot against him. After all, that\'s what it would mean to bring Sekhmet back to the mortal world.

"Does YuWon know about this?"

"Not entirely. He knows about Chiron and the body enhancements, but I lied to him and said having the enhancement would prevent the goddess\'s possession."

She continued, "He is overprotective of me, so he agreed. But even he has suspicions about my motives. Since I woke up knowing about Chiron. But he trusts me... but I need your trust more than his."

Soo-Ah\'s gaze softened. She had experienced the enlightenment firsthand. Hence, she knew Yeji could believe in Sekhmet when she woke up. She needed to have a plan in place. Just in case Yeji was playing with her.

"Very well. I\'ll do it, but only on one condition."

"What is it?" Yeji asked.

"I will accompany you," Soo-Ah said. "That is not up for negotiations."

"Of course, Soo-Ah. I wouldn\'t have it any other way," Yeji smiled, holding her hand. "Goddess Sekhmet will remember your devotion. Thank you sincerely."

Hearing Sekhmet\'s name spoken with such reverence brought a glimmer of pride to Soo-Ah\'s eyes. The goddess herself would remember her loyalty; that was enough to make Soo-Ah agree wholeheartedly.

"But for now, you\'ll have to stay here," Yeji informed her, saddened by the fact. "YuWon suspects me already. If I ask him to free you, he might not take it kindly."

"I understand," Soo-Ah nodded. "Fret not, it would take more than this to break me and my devotion to the goddess. But be careful. I don\'t trust that traitor."

With a last smile, Yeji left the room, only to find YuWon waiting outside. As soon as she saw him, she gave him a thumbs-up, along with a triumphant smile.

"Told you it\'d work," YuWon said, ruffling her hair.

"Isn\'t that what I should say?" Yeji grinned. "But she\'ll resurrect Lycaon and help us find the Chiron. Mission accomplished."

"Good. That will make things a lot easier."

"But we have to be careful. Soo-Ah is still loyal to Sekhmet. If she finds out the truth, we could be in serious trouble."

"Don\'t worry. I\'ll deal with her distracted if it comes to that."